Director of Payroll

Chartered by the state of Georgia in 1785, the University of Georgia is the birthplace of public higher education in America and is the state's flagship university (https://www.uga.edu/). The proof is in our more than 240 years of academic and professional achievements and our continual commitment to higher education. UGA is currently ranked among the top 20 public universities in U.S. News & World Report. The University's main campus is located in Athens, approximately 65 miles northeast of Atlanta, with extended campuses in Atlanta, Griffin, Gwinnett, and Tifton. UGA employs approximately 3,100 faculty and more than 7,700 full-time staff. The University's enrollment exceeds 41,000 students including over 31,000 undergraduates and over 10,000 graduate and professional students. Academic programs reside in 19 schools and colleges, including our newly established School of Medicine.

Monday-Friday; 8am-5pm

The University of Georgia is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or veteran status or other protected status. Persons needing accommodations or assistance with the accessibility of materials related to this search are encouraged to contact Central HR ( hrweb@uga.edu).

The University System of Georgia is comprised of our 26 institutions of higher education and learning, as well as the System Office. Our USG Statement of Core Values are Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect. These values serve as the foundation for all that we do as an organization, and each USG community member is responsible for demonstrating and upholding these standards. More details on the USG Statement of Core Values and Code of Conduct are available in USG Board Policy 8.2.18.1.2 and can be found online at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section8/C224/#p8.2.18_personnel_conduct.

Additionally, USG supports Freedom of Expression as stated in Board Policy 6.5 Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom found online at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section6/C2653.

Knowledge of practices and procedures related to payroll administration
Advanced knowledge of Payroll, Federal, State and Local tax regulations
Experience with PeopleSoft based HCM software, or other HRMS software programs
Experience processing payroll in a Higher Education setting
Knowledge of time reporting laws and policies
Experience with high level account reconciliations

Responsible for overall leadership and operation of the Payroll department in accordance with USG and UGA polices & procedures and assessing the department's accomplishments each year. Responsible for ensuring compliance with IRS and state regulations, staying abreast of new developments and leading implementation/incorporation of those into UGA processes.

Directs departmental efforts to improve the payroll process by analyzing existing systems and procedures, identifying more efficient and effective solutions, and leading Payroll's involvement in their design and implementation in partnership with OneUSG Connect.

Reviews various annual, quarterly and monthly reports. Leads efforts to work with the campus community to manage the time and attendance system and processes and oversees balancing and reporting of taxable fringe and W-2 information for over 20,000 employees that produce over 27,000 W-2s each year.

Handles personnel issues of Payroll staff such as interviewing, hiring, training, coordinating/assigning/reviewing work, conducting annual performance evaluations, salary increases, etc.

Communicate effectively and have good organization skills. Ability to deal with the public in a professional and courteous manner. Experience with complex enterprise and administrative systems.

Physically perform normal office duties

Be advised a credit check will be required for all positions with financial responsibilities. For additional information about the credit check criteria, visit the UGA Credit Background Check website.

Offers of employment are contingent upon completion of a background investigation including, a criminal background check demonstrating your eligibility for employment with the University of Georgia; confirmation of the credentials and employment history reflected in your application materials (including reference checks) as they relate to the job-based requirements of the position applied for; and, if applicable, a satisfactory credit check. You may also be subject to a pre-employment drug test for positions with high-risk responsibilities, if applicable. Please visit the UGA Background Check website.

Responsible for overall leadership and operation of the Payroll department in accordance with USG and UGA polices & procedures and assessing the department's accomplishments each year. Responsible for ensuring compliance with IRS and state regulations, staying abreast of new developments and leading implementation/incorporation of those into UGA processes.

Directs departmental efforts to improve the payroll process by analyzing existing systems and procedures, identifying more efficient and effective solutions, and leading Payroll's involvement in their design and implementation in partnership with OneUSG Connect. Reviews various annual, quarterly and monthly reports. Oversees balancing and reporting of taxable fringe and W-2 information for over 20,000 employees that produce over 27,000 W-2s each year.

Handles personnel issues of Payroll staff such as interviewing, hiring, training, coordinating/assigning/reviewing work, conducting annual performance evaluations, salary increases, etc.

Leads department efforts to work with campus community to manage and maintain the time and attendance system and other payroll systems and business processes. Directs the processing of additional pay processes. Designs and presents training classes to facilitate the implementation of the new processes and procedures and works closely with OneUSG Connect and the University community to manage the payroll process. Addresses issues that arise with the systems and leads the process of identifying and implementing solutions and improvements.

Resolves and/or responds to numerous UGA departments' & employees' issues and questions which includes providing guidance to depts. and/or interpretation of federal, state, BOR, and UGA policies & procedures.
Resolves and/or responds to payroll questions, problems and issues affecting UGA as an institution.

Represents the Payroll department on various UGA and USG committees and institutional work groups. Works closely with other administrative offices across campus such as Human Resources, Commitment Accounting, Budgets, and Faculty Affairs as well as USG Shared Services Center and OneUSG Connect support staff. Leads departmental efforts in working with EITS and other campus units on issues associated with sensitive data protection efforts.

Assists Associate Controller and/or Controller with various problems, analyses, interpretations, and data acquisition & reporting.